TITLE: A Goddess Is A Girl's Best Friend: A Divine Guide to Finding Love, Success and Happiness
AUTHOR: Laurie Sue Brockway
PUBLISHER: The Berkley Publishing Group
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2002
PRICE: $14.95 U.S., $21.99 CAN
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Beginner and beyond
RATING:
REVIEWED BY: Freyja
I found this book quite by accident when browsing the Women's Studies section at Barnes and Noble, although it's catalogued under the category "Spirituality." I browsed through it several times before deciding that I had to have it.
Brockway starts with an introduction about why every girl needs a goddess to call her own. There is a short quiz to test your goddess knowledge. She goes on with a chapter about reclaiming the positive qualities of Eve in our lives. The section includes some interesting thoughts on Eve's biblical role and its impact on us as women in society. A "Reclaiming Eve" exercise is offered at the end of the chapter.
The remainder of the book is divided into sections listing goddesses for specific needs: Self, Strength, Love and Romance, Friendship and Family Life, Work and Finance and Play and Lightheartedness. Brockway even includes the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St. Terese' as goddesses. Each chapter details goddess history, associations and qualities and includes exercises, meditations or rituals to invoke them. Brockway even includes information on where to obtain suggested items within the chapter, rather than an appendix at the end of the book.
A Goddess Is A Girl's Best Friend is informative. empowering and inspiring and will appeal to women of various spiritual paths.
TITLE: Llewellyn's 2003 Magickal Almanac
EDITOR: Michael Fallon
PUBLISHER: Llewellyn Publications; St. Paul, MN
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2002
PRICE: $7.50 US, $12.95 CAN
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Beginner and beyond
RATING:
REVIEWED BY: Mareth
I've been reading the yearly Llewellyn's Almanacs for years and I have always looked forward to buying the new edition each fall. It seems that I am at the end of an era. This edition is such a disappointment.
Some of the articles in the 2003 Magical Almanac are a little flaky. A few examples spring immediately to mind. Barbara Ardinger's articles "Found Goddesses, an Introduction," "Jollity, Goddess of the Holidays," "Buffy, Summer Goddess of the Gym," and "Caloria, Fall Goddess of Potluck" definitely top that list. This surprises me because I've been pleased with other work that she has produced in the past. In case you haven't gotten to read the articles, the basic idea is just to create goddesses to fit your needs. Forget researching anything, just make something up. Is she serious? If so, this is one of the most absurd concepts I've ever read. I can't wait for people on my e-lists to start serious discussions about the best ways to connect with Jollity, Buffy, and Caloria!
I must admit that I found the tattoo, navel piercings, and toe ring consecration rituals contributed by Ed Fitch to be simply frivolous! I have a body piercing of my own, so it's not that I can't relate to those who have done such things. I understand the significance of tattoos and piercings in some cultures, but I just don't find the subject matter of the rituals to be interesting in any way. Add to that the fact that the writing style is lack-luster and I ended up yawning my way through the articles.
I would also say that someone with a better grasp on English grammar needs to do the final edit. There are a great many glaring errors contained within this edition. The most irritating example is this: one of the articles mentions someone being hung. I wish someone had explained to the editor that inanimate objects are HUNG up; people are HANGED until dead. Don't get me started on the numbers of errors in possessive case and noun/verb agreement! And... since when has ending sentences with prepositions been acceptable in the written word?!
I found several articles to be well-researched and informative, such as Ann Moura's "Healing Auras with Crystals," Denise Dumars' "The Egyptian Trinity: Isis, Osiris, and Horus," and Emely Flak's "Belly Dancing, the Rite that Honors the Goddess," which has prompted me into looking into the religious significance of this beautiful artform. I really did love "Myth of the Cailleach," written by Kristin Madden about one of my favorite Goddesses. But these quality articles are sadly outweighed by the tripe that makes up the rest of the book.
Here's hoping that Llewellyn makes a better effort next year...
TITLE: Halloween: Customs, Recipes, and Spells
AUTHOR: Silver RavenWolf
PUBLISHER: Llewellyn Publications; St. Paul, MN
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1999
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Beginner and beyond
RATING:
REVIEWED BY: Mareth
I have to admit that I'm not the biggest Silver RavenWolf fan in the world these days; I used to be, but I was so disappointed with Teen Witch that I stopped purchasing her books after reading that one. So, I was hesitant to buy Halloween: Customs, Recipes, and Spells. After reading it, however, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
I could have easily done without her attempts at humor in the Halloween history chapter (titled "The Search for Halloween"). Here's an example from page 9: "All passengers, please prepare to board Silver Flight 2000. Our in-flight movie will contain information about the Druids, a religious subset of the Paleopagan peoples. Please refrain from using cellular phones or other electronic devices during take off." That's just way too cute for my taste... But I persevered and I'm glad that I did. Silver does a wonderful job of concisely covering the millenia-long history of Samhain in just a few pages.
There is a wealth of information of divination within the pages of this book, covering everything from using pumpkin seeds and nuts to scrying to a detailed section on the Runes. She also gives recipes and craft ideas galore, while educating the reader on the history of Halloween-based activities. Some of the things we associate with secular Harvest parties have very magickal roots. This book is really a Halloween party-planner's dream come true! Most of the activities are suitable for all ages or easily adapted.
The spells are (as usual for Silver's work) well-explained and instructions are detailed and easy to follow. They also cover every magickal intent from love to protection to healing. Without a doubt, my favorite is the Pumpkin Abundance Light spell, found on page 131, in which one uses tea light candles and miniature pumpkins to draw prosperity into one's life. I didn't get a chance to use it this year, but the spell is simple, uses readily available supplies, and I'm sure it's very effective.
This book is an interesting addition to my Pagan library, one that I was reluctant to buy, given its $12.95 price tag. I definitely learned a few things, about both the Pagan and the secular histories of Halloween. If you're interested in putting together a Samhain party, I'd make sure to take a look at this book. Using Silver's suggestions, you'll have the best party ever!
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